Dimeshipping - Gallantry
by MonkeyLi
Summary: Set in the one page comic "Gallantry": p?c I TL 2302-01 I translated here: Pure fluff and soft cuddles I wish everyone a wonderfull start into the new year! Especially my friends and my fellow Dimeshippers!


Over the holidays the nephews had persuaded their uncle to spend some free days together. At first Scrooge had been against it, Christmas always brought with it a lot of subsequent work. But in the end he couldn't refuse the big children's eyes that looked at him pleadingly. So Donald, Daisy, Fethry, the triplets and of course Scrooge had gathered in his country house. Beautifully situated with adjoining forest and a lake that was frozen at this time of year so that everyone could ice skate to their heart's content.

Fethrys hobby was to look for new hobbies all the time and to accumulate special knowledge. Around Christmas time he had been busy with the Christmas traditions and legends of other countries. So he finally came across the Italian Christmas witch, La Befana. Fidgetily, he stared out of the window again and again for days because he thought he saw something.  
Just as everyone was sitting comfortably by the fire and drinking hot cocoa, he suddenly jumped up like stung and ran to the window.  
"Here we go, guys! Come and see. The witch has arrived!"

Scrooge and Donald had agreed to play along. If they tried to talk Fethry out of it, they'd only make it worse. "Are you sure?" Therefore Donald asked with real interest. While all the others also focused their eyes on Fethry. He obviously enjoyed being the center of attention. "Quite sure! It was really her! A horrible old hag riding a broom!"  
"Possible..." Donald carefully returned and glanced at his uncle seeking help. "Sure! She was a sloppy, wrinkled, rag-dressed creature! It was the Befana!" Fethry insisted.

Scrooge now had a bad feeling. So far, if Fethry thought he saw something, he hadn't gone into that much detail. "Isn't that a litte early?" Donald asked, looking at the calendar.  
"And shouldn't she have a bag of presents with her?" Scrooge added, but the humor had disappeared from his voice. A familiar feeling of excitement gripped him.  
At that moment he heard a noise from outside as if something had landed in the snow and then everyone heard a voice sobbing loudly. Nobody seemed to understand what was going on.

Except for Scrooge, he had recognized the voice immediately.

He hurriedly ran to the door and out into the open. There stood Magica in the snow, her broom firmly clasped, crying bitter tears. She looked up as she heard the door but immediately bowed her head in shame as she saw Scrooge. She could have sunk into the ground with shame. She had heard Fethrys excited words.  
Normally she didn't mind something like that. She didn't lack self-confidence but the fact that Scrooge had stood by when Fethry described her ugliness gave her a sting. What if he agreed? When he laughed at her? He was the only person in the world who let her self-confidence sink and at the same time the only one before whom she didn't want to show exactly this weakness.

Meanwhile Scrooge cursed inwardly. His darn nephew. As soon as they were back in town he would drag him to an optician.  
Carefully Scrooge approached the sobbing witch and patted her back. He didn't want to dare too much even if all his senses strove to gently embrace her.

„He said, he said I am wrinkled!" Magica cried. She just couldn't stop. The more she cried the more embarrassed she was and the less she could stop. She would have preferred to fall into Scrooge's arms. But she didn't dare. Nevertheless it felt good that he gently patted her back and head. Neither in his voice nor on his face could she recognize mockery.  
"Radiant Magica, he said radiant!" At least he found that this term described the witch much better. Because she was indeed radiant, in beauty as well as in character. Slowly Magica calmed down a bit, her sobbing became less.

With an angry face Scrooge turned to his nephew. "I'll settle with you later, Moron!" Fethry sank down like a heap of misery on the pile of sheath that stood in front of the house and made a troubled face. It was never good to anger Uncle Scrooge. Donald stared at his uncle perplexed. He didn't understand what was going on. Why he was so angry. Fethry had been right afterall, it had only been the old, ugly witch.

"Don't stare at her like that!" Scrooge hissed "Go away!"

Immediately they both followed his orders. Daisy and the children hadn't left the house but watched everything through the window. While Donald was comforting Fethry that he had done nothing wrong, she continued to look outside.

Now that he was alone with her, Scrooge ventured a little closer to Magica. He lifted her chin and gently stroked the tears from her cheeks. "Stop crying. My nephew is an idiot and blind on top of that. He didn't mean it."  
Suddenly she looked straight into his eyes and his cheeks turned red under her intense gaze. "Do you think I'm ugly aswell?" The question had slipped out of her mouth before she could think about it. If possible, Scrooge's cheeks turned a little redder and he looked embarrassed to the side.

"No..." He answered simply. „I think you are beautifull…" In the words swung complete honesty.

Magica sniffed awkwardly, she hadn't expected him to answer so directly. Gently she leaned her forehead against his chest. "Thank you..." She breathed.

Scrooge knew that Magica had a very diverse personality. Sometimes you could almost call her evil, sometimes she was as meek as a lamb.  
If he was honest, he liked all sides of her. Whenever she showed up he could never know what to expect. But especially in moments like these, where she seemed tender and fragile, he was overcome by the feeling of wanting to protect her. Of course she didn't need his protection no matter what condition she was in. Magica could defend herself at any time. Nevertheless...  
Carefully he put his arms around her. Not enough to call it a real hug but a promise that more could arise from it... if she wanted to.

"May I assume that any attempt to steal my dime will be suspended for today?" It was always like that. As soon as Magica had acknowledged a defeat and promised not to try again, he could rely on her not to cheat him.  
He felt her nodding slightly and pressing a little more against his chest, as timid as his arms were around her. "I've lost my interest for now."  
Scrooge could literally feel the looks of his family in his neck. Of course they had to watch everything curiously. Without this audience he might have dared to hold the woman in front of him in his arms to soothe her.  
But he did not let himself be persuaded to ask the next question. "Would you then perhaps like to come in with me? You are completely frozen from your flight and inside a warm fire burns in the fireplace. Nothing special, a few social games, some television... just a cosy round with the… Family..."

Magica looked at him for a moment, examining. "You are bored, aren't you?" She deadpanned.

Scrooge took a nervous look over his shoulder to make sure his family hadn't heard that comment. "Boring would be exaggerated, but having someone more like me around would be nice... I'm honestly glad you showed up..." His cheeks turned red with these words but his gaze rested firmly on hers.  
It was nice to imagine that he blushed because of her. Magica wiped the last tears from her eyes and smiled at him. "Gladly!" She finally answered with conviction.  
Satisfied Scrooge offered her his arm and together they entered the house. The audience at the window tried to pretend inconspicuously that they were not spying. Scrooge just gave them a dry look but said nothing. He was far too happy that Magica had agreed.

"As you've surely noticed, I invited Magica to our little vacation here. So behave yourself, we have a guest!" He looked everyone in the eye for a moment. On Donald and Fethry his gaze stayed a little longer. Donald rolled his eyes in annoyance and pinched any comment. He would never understand why his uncle kept letting the witch into their midst. Fethry, on the other hand, lowered his head embarrassed, he had a guilty conscience.  
Daisy and the triplets smiled at Magica so that she didn't feel excluded. Especially Daisy grasped better than anyone else what was driving her uncle. But what everyone had understood was that rewords would encounter granite. Scrooge was insensitive to criticism of his decisions. Especially when it came to Magica. So all surrendered to his moods, after all it was his house. "It's great, then we have an extra player for Charade!" Huey, Dewey and Louie got excited.

Magica gave Scrooge an amused look. "Charade, huh?" But in her voice there was no real mockery, she always liked to discover new sides to Scrooge. Especially those gentle sides he only showed to his family. His eyes literally shone. "Yes! And with you in one team the others have no chance against us anymore! We should have agreed on a prize money..."  
Unconsciously he put his arm around her shoulder while he was looking forward to defeating his family in the game. Magica enjoyed the warmth of his body on hers. Satisfied, she leaned lightly into the touch. "When the word „win" is included, I'm in!" She returned with just as much zest for action.  
"Oh phooey..." Came it quietly from Donald.

And really, nobody had a chance against them.

The years of bitter battles against each other as well as their temporary mergers had resulted in the two of them knowing each other inside and out. They dissolved one charade after the other in a few seconds, only with the help of allusions to common adventures and interests. Daisy, who of course was in a team with Donald, was almost a little jealous of the good cooperation.

"Wohoo, won!" Scrooge cheered loudly as time ran out. Laughing, Magica threw herself back onto the sofa next to him and looked almost tenderly into his radiant face. Satisfied, he turned his head towards her to look into her eyes. For a moment they both forgot who and where they were. What mattered were only the two of them.  
They were ripped from their thoughts as Daisy appeared before them. "Here you go, hot chocolate with extra marshmallows for the winning couple!" She used that word deliberately, but it didn't seem to catch the eye of the two.  
Gratefully Magica accepted the cup, placed her feet, which of course were free of her shoes, on the sofa and leaned comfortably against Scrooge's side. Scrooge allowed it without any objections and leaned against her himself as he enjoyed his own drink.  
The others threw partly confused, partly amused looks at each other. But the couple didn't notice it at all.

Magica turned her head so that she could give Scrooge a slight kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for the invitation, Scroogey. It's fun to be here." Then she cuddled her head in the crook of his neck and sighed contentedly. She felt more comfortable and safe than she had in a long time.  
Scrooge put his free arm around her again and pulled her a little closer. "Thank you for being here..." His cheeks were glowing red with embarrassment that she had kissed him. He caught himself wishing it could be like this between them forever.  
Without thinking about it Magica seized his hand which hung over her shoulder and caressed his fingers absent-mindedly as she drank her hot chocolate.

Had one of them looked up, they would have noticed the now purely surprised glances of Scrooge's family. They had never experienced their uncle like this before. Especially not with the witch. "Actually, she's not an ugly witch at all..." Fethry whispered timidly to Daisy. She nodded slightly to the younger one. "You should apologize to her, the way I see it, Uncle Scrooge will do something to you otherwise.  
Donald just held his hands in front of his eyes, he didn't want to see that at all. It wasn't fitting for his uncle to look so peaceful. "Why does he trust her? Why does he allow this closeness?" Daisy only looked into his eyes for a long time that he blushed. "Don't you really know that?"  
He looked embarrassed to the side. "I try to repress it, I don't trust her..." But it was also clear to him that he couldn't do more than watch and be there for his uncle in case of an incident.  
Was it even clear to the old drake that he was on the verge of losing his heart to the witch? Without a lovepotion this time?

So no one spoke to them about their behaviour and the evening was as cheerful as before. Team Scrooge/Magica was unbeatable. Except during a quiz about the latest pop culture, because the knowledge of the two seemed to come from the last century. Here the triplets and Fethry could shine. Many hours later Donald shooed the protesting children into bed and Scrooge went outside to fetch new firewood.  
Fethry used this opportunity to approach Magica shyly. She would have rather helped Scrooge than be alone with his family, but he winked at her that his nephew would want to apologize.  
"Um..." I just wanted to say, I actually didn't recognize anything at the window. I was just eager to see the La Befana that I convinced myself into seeing things... you are not ugly... I am sorry."  
Magica looked at the heap of misery for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders. " It' s all right, I honestly don't care what you or anyone thinks about me. "

Skeptically Fethry tilted his head. "But... you cried..." Magica blushed with the memory. "That was only... because I thought HE would agree with you, but that's settled." If possible she started to redden even more, but at the same time a contented smile appeared on her face.  
"He?" Fethry quacked "Do you mean Uncle Scrooge? I believe he thinks you're totally beautiful. He has a framed picture of you hanging in the money bin and always carries a photo of you in his wallet. I have seen that he brings it out from time to time to look at it."  
Fethrys face shone full of innocence, happy that he had not hurt the witch, who seemed much nicer than expected. He didn't even notice that Magica had become stiff and her head was almost on fire. Fehtry smiled at her once more, then he was already somewhere else with his thoughts and started to talk to Donald.

Magica just stood there frozen. Suddenly a firm hand lay down on her shoulder and she shrugged in shock. "Hey, are you all right? You seemed so lost in thought?" Sounded Scrooge's worried voice behind her.

A warm feeling spread inside her.

Fethry's words echoed in her head. He carried a photo of her? Just like she did of him. Hidden in the brooch of her dress. In addition there was his words, the invitation to celebrate with him and his family, which was also not the first time, his gentle touch...

She didn't dare to get her hopes up to far but...

"Did my nephew somehow offend you?" Scrooge added when no answer came from Magica, but she just shook her head with a smile. "No, he apologized exactly as you suspected. Everything is all right..."  
It really was, but knowing that he might have feelings of some sort for her also made her more nervous. She wanted to find out what was going on in him, but she didn't want to frighten him if she was wrong. They sat next to each other to watch some TV. She leaned against him again, much more cautiously than before. But immediately his arm lay lovingly around her shoulder so that she gratefully came to rest at his side. They did not speak, but there was a very pleasant silence between them.

Scrooge had trouble concentrating on the movie, he couldn't think of anything else than the woman who leaned so peacefully against him. After a while he noticed the weight of her body getting heavier at his side. She had fallen asleep. His heart jumped with joy that she felt so comfortable in his presence, trusted him so much. Of course, it wasn't the first time, after all, they had been on the road for days on several adventures together. Nevertheless, here in his country house, together with his family, in front of the fireplace, it felt like something special.

He nodded to his family and meant to turn off the TV then gently shook Magica's shoulders. "Hey... wake up..." He smiled at her as she opened her eyes sleepy. "If you sleep like that, you' re in pain tomorrow, let's go to bed." Slightly confused, Magica straightened up. Immediately he missed the warmth of her body on his. "Is it that late already? I should probably go..."  
She didn't want to leave.  
It hurt to think that they would be enemies when they saw each other again.

But Scrooge shook his head. "What are you talking about? Of course you stay here overnight! Daisy's room has two beds..." He raised his head and looked at his niece "If that's okay with you?" Daisy enjoyed this tender little love story that developed before her eyes. She thought it was too cute how the cheeks of her otherwise so strict uncle turned red and his gaze became warm and soft when he looked at Magica. "Of course!" She stretched and yawned. "It's time we went to bed, I'm done." Then she thought of something.  
"You don't have anything to sleep with you..." If her uncle didn't catch on, she would offer something of herself, but maybe...

"That's right, it was a spontaneous invitation. Wait, I'll get you a shirt from me, that should be comfortable enough to sleep in if you don't mind." Scrooge immediately intervened.  
Magica could only nod silently to everything. She was so happy that she was allowed to stay and could be together with Scrooge in the morning. Of course she would have preferred to sleep with him, but she knew herself how utopian this idea was. So she gratefully took the shirt what he handed her. The fabric was of high quality and soft, although it had been worn many times. Scrooge only threw something away when it fell apart.

It took a moment for everyone to say good night. Fethry embraced each of his family and nodded to Magica happily. Daisy kissed Donald and kissed her uncle on the cheek. "Our room is right here!" Explained Daisy and disappeared from the scene to leave them alone for a moment. Donald embraced her tenderly once more and warned her quietly to watch out for the witch.  
But Daisy just laughed unconcernedly. "Trust the words of a woman, honey. Magica has other things on her mind than to do mischief." Donald rolled his eyes but saw that his fiancée was probably right. "Good night!" He called one last time, then he also disappeared into his room.

Scrooge and Magica were left alone in the room. Shyly Magica looked up at him. "Thank you for everything, also for letting me stay." She timidly took a step towards him and gave him another little kiss on the cheek while her lips lingered there for a moment too long. "Good night, Scroogey. See you in the morning..."  
Scrooge's cheeks turned red again as her lips touched him. Gallant he took her hand in his and kissed it. "You're welcome. Good night, Magica." His smile was so warm and honest that she became dizzy at the sight.  
Quickly she took her hand from him and turned around so that he didn't notice how much he unsettled her.

On soft knees she went towards Daisy's room. Before she entered, she turned to him again and saw that he was looking after her. He was startled when he noticed her gaze, smiled and then disappeared into his room as well.

As Magica closed the door behind her, she leaned against it for a moment and a longing sigh escaped her. She declared today the most wonderfull day of her life so far. How gallantly he had kissed her hand. Dreamy she looked at the spot his lips had touched until a cough ripped her from her mind.  
Daisy! She had completely forgotten that she was not alone in the room.  
"Everything all right with you? You're all red in the face and you sighed so deeply?" Inquired Daisy with innocent look. Of course it was completely clear to her what was going on in the other woman, but where was the fun if she did not amuse herself a little about the two stubborn heads?

Embarrassed, Magica ripped the gaze from her hand and stepped closer into the room. Scrooge's shirt still firmly in her arm. It smelled like him, actually it smelled like his detergent, yet this smell was closely connected to him. She would have loved to bury her beak in it, good that she hadn't done it before she became aware of the other woman.  
"It's nothing!" She snapped a trace too rude because she was angry about being torn from her beautiful thoughts. Daisy didn't care, she didn't expect Magica to change completely from one day to the next, besides, it had been her intention to rattle her.

Surly Magica turned her back to Daisy and began to change. The soft fabric of Scrooge's shirt felt wonderful on her skin. She snuggled up comfortably in it and lay down in bed.  
But she couldn't sleep. Restlessly she rolled back and forth in bed. But her thoughts always revolved around Scrooge. They had been so close today and yet it had never been enough. She longed so much to lie in his arms now. It had long since become clear to her that she had hopelessly fallen in love with the old miser, but she had always been good at suppressing this feeling. But now that he had given her a tiny glimpse of what it might be like to be with him, plus the quiet hope that he might feel the same way... It was driving her crazy.  
Daisy watched the act for a while and then decided to go on the offensive.

"You've got it pretty bad!" She suddenly declared with a final tone of voice.

Magica flinched in bed and turned to the other woman with big eyes. "What?" Daisy couldn't possibly have guessed what was going on inside her. "I said, you got it bad." Daisy repeated unaffected.  
Then she sighed, probably it was better to talk to the witch calmly. "Listen, I am also a woman and above all not blind. I've been watching you for years and I can justifiably say I've never seen two more stubborn donkeys like you". She looked Magica straight in the eyes. "You're in love with my uncle and wish for nothing more than to be with him instead of here in this room."  
Then she closed her mouth and waited.

Magicas face turned fiery red and she indignantly opened her beak to say something. But then she reconsidered and lowered her head beaten.

"Yes..."

She confessed surprisingly insightfully. She had had enough of hiding her feelings. What good was it if Daisy already knew about it anyway?  
Daisy almost felt sorry for her as she sat so lost in bed and was visibly ashamed of her feelings.  
She stood up and gently laid a hand on the witch's shoulder. "Then what are you still doing here?" Surprised, Magica lifted her head and stared at her. "What? But... I can't..." At that thought alone her cheeks glowed even redder. Smiling Daisy sat down next to her, "I don't think he would mind, I have never experienced him like today. First he defends and comforts you and that against his nephew! Then he allows you to go so far into his comfort zone."

She nudged Magica friendly with her shoulder to loosen up the conversation. "Surely you have already experienced what happens when Brigitta tries the same. My uncle is a gentelman, but if someone forces himself on him against his will, he quickly becomes violent. No matter if he has a man or a woman in front of him."  
Magica timidly smiled at her. "Thank you for saying that, although it's about your uncle and I... I am a witch... I thought that each of you must hate me. Scrooge included... I don't want to get my hopes up, you see?" She kneaded her hands in embarrassment as she spoke.

"Nobody in our family hates you, not even Donald. He mistrusts you, that much is certain. But if you prove that you don't harm Uncle Scrooge, he will accept you too. Grandma even likes you very much, even though she's strict with you."

Meanwhile Magica had tears in her eyes when she heard those words. "And you really wouldn't mind?" She made sure. Daisy laughed "On the contrary, I die for "forbidden" love stories. Magica looked at her dryly. "This is not a cheesy novel of love..." Innocently Daisy looked at the ceiling "Not yet..."

Magica remained silent for a while and wrapped her arms around herself. Again she took in the familiar scent of Scrooge's shirt. The longing tied her heart together. Calmly, she stood up. "I... will see if he is still awake. If I notice that my presence is unwanted I can still talk my way out. But better than not trying it at all." She was already standing at the door but turned around again. "Thank you..."  
Daisy had clasped her hands in front of her mouth with joy and excitement. "I hope you don't come back! Wrap him around your finger!" Magica shook her head with a smile. Scrooge's family was really something... special... it would be nice to be a part of it one day...  
On quiet soles she sneaked across the corridor. As she stood in front of Scrooge's door she breathed deeply again. Then she knocked.

Scrooge was uncomfortable Magica caught him staring at her. How clear must his feelings have been on his face? For nothing in the world he wanted to frighten her. As sleep was out of the question as long as Magica slept only a few meters away in the same house, he pulled out a book and tried to concentrate on it. After half an hour he was still on the same page at the first paragraph. His thoughts kept wandering to today.  
To Magica as she peacefully leaned against him, as she kissed his cheek twice. Carefully he stroked the spot her lips had touched. He had the feeling it was still glowing. He put his fingers to his lips and sighed deeply as he imagined what it would be like to really kiss her. At that moment there was a knock on his door and he startled.

He wondered if he should pretend to be asleep, at the moment he had no nerves for one of Fethry's debaucheries. But then a timid voice sounded on the other side of the door. "Scrooge? Are you still awake? It's me…"

Magica!

His heart beat faster with excitement. He stared at the door until he realised he had to answer before she left. "Yes, come in!"  
Slowly the door was opened and Magica stuck her head into the room. She seemed quite intimidated. "I'm sorry if I bother you, surely you'd like to continue reading..." She pointed her head at the book that lay open on his lap. Confused, his gaze followed hers, he had long forgotten about it.  
"Nonsense!" Scrooge straightened up a little more in bed and looked at her expectantly. "Is something wrong?" Magica played with the hem of her shirt and shook her head. "No... I just can't sleep. Daisy is nice, but I'm not used to sleeping in a room with almost strangers..." Her heart hammered so loudly in her chest that she could hardly concentrate.

In Scrooge's head everything turned. Would it come over wrong if he offered her to stay with him? It was not appropriate, was it not?  
Before he could decide what was right and what was wrong, Magica suddenly stood right next to his bed, her hands insecurely cramped in the shirt she had got from him.

"May I stay with you?"

For a moment, he could only stare at her. His mouth and eyes wide open in sheer amazement. Slowly a blush drew across his face. He should be reasonable, he was here with his family, he couldn't share his bed with a woman.  
Especially not with the one he was hopelessly in love with.  
But he saw the gentle plea in her eyes that made him dizzy with happiness. She wanted to be with him even though she knew that it meant sharing a bed.  
"Magica..." His throat was dry and his voice faltered.

"Please..."

She whispered again. Should he still hesitate, she decided not to push him further, then she had her answer as much as it hurt. But suddenly he shifted a little to the side, lifted the blanket and spread his arms invitingly. "Come here..."

Magica literally flew into his arms.

Immediately she snuggled up to him, cuddled her beak in his neckband and stroked his chest with devotion. When his arms closed tightly around her and pressed her against him, she finally felt comfortable. Scrooge sighed contentedly from the depth of his heart. What had always stood unspoken between them became clearer and clearer. They belonged together, they needed each other.

"I want you to stay with me..." Scrooge whispered overwhelmed by his feelings.  
Tenderly he combed through her hair with his fingers and enjoyed how silky it felt. After a while in which they only silently snuggled together, Scrooge turned so that he could now slightly bend over Magica. Boldly she looked directly into his eyes, even though her heart pounded against her chest with excitement.  
She raised her hand and stroked tenderly through the soft feathers of his sideburns, his face glowing red under her hand.

Scrooge briefly closed his eyes to better enjoy the feeling of her hand on his cheek but then he looked at her seriously. "Magica..." He started carefully. "I'm scared I misunderstand what's between us and I can't stand it any longer." His face was close to hers but he took care that she had the opportunity to free herself from him. "Please, you don't have to feel obligated to anything just because I'm interpreting something into us that isn't there. One word from you and nothing will happen, I promise."  
His gaze showed his sincerity, but one could also clearly see the quiet hope in it. Magicas heart hardly wanted to calm down, could it be? Did he want to..?  
Scrooge took a deep breath. "I must confess, I have imagined countless times what it would be like to... kiss you..." A short pause his eyes unwavering on her

"May I?"

Magica started crying again.

Startled , Scrooge immediately let go of her a bit. "Hey, it's okay..." he calmed her down gently. "You don't have to be afraid, I won't touch you if you don't want me to. I'm sorry." Scrooge was so ashamed, he'd ruined everything because he thought he saw more in her actions than was there. "I'm an idiot, please don't cry."  
It hurt immensely, but he had been a fool to think a woman like Magica could feel anything for him beyond friendship and respect. He moved cautiously so as not to frighten her even more and wanted to let her go completely.

But Magica only shook her head at his words. Suddenly she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her, so that he landed on her soft body. He hated himself for enjoying the feeling of being so close to her.  
"No! Don't let go of me!" She was still crying and her voice faltered as she spoke, but she didn't seem to cry out of fear or aversion. Much more she seemed pleased.  
"I myself thought I expected too much, I was so afraid you would turn away from me if I tried to get close to you. Just like you turn away from Brigitta, I know you're not the kind of person who likes to let people in." Her voice grew stronger with every word and her tears dried up.

Very gently she caressed his beak with hers and smiled at him. "But I just couldn't bear to be without you..."

Scrooge looked at her all the time, without a word, and listened to her. His heart beating fast with joyous tension. He would have liked to scream and confess his feelings, but he didn't want to interrupt her. He read in her eyes that she had to get rid of what was on her mind.

"All I ask is one thing: Only kiss me if you mean it. If you're willing to take the consequences." She took his face in both hands and looked deep into his eyes so he could see clearly what she was feeling.

"For I love you, Scrooge."

She trembled a little as she lay there beneath him, all the walls around her heart torn down. She felt vulnerable, but relieved at the same time. Whatever happened now, she never had to pretend again.

Scrooge did not answer. His hands found their way into her silky hair as he tenderly embraced her face.  
Without hesitation, he bent forward and kissed her. Immediately, Magica's arms closed around him, and she returned his touch with enthusiasm. Again and again Scrooge moved away from her for a split second, looking into her eyes, before he caught her lips in an even more intimate kiss. He could not believe it was real, that she really wanted him.

"I love you. I love you, Magica..."

He finally emerged after he managed to free himself from her sweet lips for good. He lay back on his side and pulled her into his arms. Happily, she nestled up close to him. They held each other tightly as if they would otherwise lose their grip on the world. It was not yet clear how it would continue, but they never intended to break this connection again.  
"Stay with me..." Scrooge repeated whispering softly. Magica nodded silently, too overwhelmed to speak any further.

After a while of loving caresses, Scrooge giggled softly.  
"Daisy will be worried when she finds you gone." Magica looked at him with a smug smile. "Well, actually..." She began in a roguish voice.  
"Bless me bagpipes..." Scrooge mumbled as he shamefully buried his beak in her hair. "She knows?" Magica squeezed him even closer. "She knows everything, darling..."

It promised to be a turbulent start to the new year.


End file.
